


Settle

by ToasterBoss



Series: The Shapes We Take [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - His Dark Materials Fusion, Daemon Touching, Daemons, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 22:58:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9145891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToasterBoss/pseuds/ToasterBoss
Summary: In all the rush of emotions and adrenaline Yuri Plisetsky hadn’t noticed something was amiss until the banquet. Yuuri Katsuki was sat in a corner, glass of champagne in one hand while the other was rubbing small, lazy circles on Victor’s thigh. Both of them had that stupidly infatuated look on their faces. Meanwhile, Yekaterina and Yasu were perched on the table in front of them, the huge snowy owl preening the gull’s smooth feathers with her beak. It was such an intimate scene, all played out in such a public place.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I felt pretty taken with the idea of this AU. I decided that skaters all have flying daemons to keep up with on the ice. I've also decided the type of daemons for the entire cast and the names of them, but this might change as I have no idea if the choices are any good. So feel free to suggest a change, especially with the names.

In all the rush of emotions and adrenaline Yuri Plisetsky hadn’t noticed something was amiss until the banquet. Yuuri Katsuki was sat in a corner, glass of champagne in one hand while the other was rubbing small, lazy circles on Victor’s thigh. Both of them had that stupidly infatuated look on their faces. Meanwhile, Yekaterina and Yasu were perched on the table in front of them, the huge snowy owl preening the gull’s smooth feathers with her beak. It was such an intimate scene, all played out in such a public place. 

Though it could be worse, they could have been touching each other daemons. Yuri had seen it happen after their engagement had been announced. On the way back to the hotel the pair had broken off from the rest of the group. As soon as Yuri had noticed he had ran off after them, determined to be a thorn in their side, but when he had caught up to them he had stopped before they had noticed him. They had stood there, under the single warm light of a street lamp, the world outside that small circle of light hidden by darkness, as if the world outside the pair didn’t exist. 

Yeketerina and Yasu had both been in the arms of their respective humans, but Yuuri’s fingers had been hidden deep in Katya’s plush plumage while Victor had been stroking Yasu’s glossy back. It was a level of intimacy so deep that it could only ever be referenced with a layer of metaphor hiding it and Yuri hadn’t even known it had existed until recently. Yuri had turned tail and ran, like the coward he was, pretending that what he had seen had been a vivid hallucination. 

Yuri wished he was old enough to drink. Even though he had won, he had lost.

“That is not a happy face,” said a familiar voice behind him.

“What do the English say? Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?” retorted Yuri, no real venom in his voice.

Otabek’s face remained stoic, but something shined in his eyes. On his shoulder Inkar inclined her head in greeting to Yelena, who was perched similarly on Yuri’s shoulder. 

Yuri’s heart beat that bit faster and against his shoulder he felt Yelena’s tiny heart do the same. It was strange she hadn’t changed out of the form of a small azure-winged magpie, she usually took the form of a great grey owl when in the presence of Otabek and Inkar, to better match the huge golden eagle. 

“My face is permanently like this, for better or worse,” said Otabek as he drew in close to Yuri, so only the two of them were able to hear the conversation. “You’re far more expressive than me, you also just beat a world record and won gold in your senior debut. Are you okay?”

The look on Otabek’s face was filled with so much genuine concern that Yuri felt his lip start to tremble. It was only for a brief second, but he knew Otabek had seen it when the older boy put a large, callused but gentle hand, on his elbow.

“I’ll be fine,” Yuri said at last, after a deep breath. “I’ve just accepted something that’s a little hard to get over, but I’ll be fine.”

Yuri glanced towards where Yuuri and Victor were all over each other, so fucking in love it made Yuri sick. 

“Unrequited emotions can be hard to deal with, you’re strong for being able to stand here,” replied Otabek as he followed Yuri’s line of sight.

“Wait, how did you-”

“I’m not blind, Yuri. Anyone can see it.”

“He never did,” replied Yuri in a tone as defeated as he felt.

“I don’t know Yuuri Katsuki very well, or at all, but I know for a fact that a lot of people find it hard to know when someone likes them. They find it hard to understand how someone could feel for them like that, or they brush off the affection as merely politeness or friendship,” said Otabek in a tone that said he knew the feeling all too well. “It takes something as significant as a kiss on international television to finally make it clear. Or even just the courage for a confession.”

Yuri glared in the direction of the love birds. “You have a point. Well, I’m a few months too late for any confession now, I was beat to the punch. I’ve accepted that, I just need to get over it now. I know I will, it’ll just take time.”

Otabek’s lip twitched up in the smallest of smiles. “You’ve grown up, Yura. No one can call you a child anymore.”

“Lena needs to settle for that to happen first.”

Instead of Otabek replying Inkar started to laugh, long and low. It was the first sound that Yuri had heard her make, the daemon even more stoic than her human. 

“What’s so funny?” demanded Yuri as he grit his fists.

“Why don’t you ask Lena?” inquired Inkar, her voice just as deep as Yuri had expected from Otabek’s daemon. 

“What are you- Wait, Lena, what is she talking about?”

“You haven’t noticed yet?” replied Lena. “I haven’t changed shape since your free skate.”

“So, what? What has tha- Oh…”

It was like Yuri was seeing Yelena for the first time, well, in a way he was. The Yelena perched on his shoulder was the real Yelena, the real Yuri, who they truly were. Of all the animals she could have chosen, of all the shapes they could have been, she had settled with an azure-winged magpie. He didn’t want to think of the implications of it, how a single moment now defined him for the rest of his life. 

A napkin materialised before his face. It took him a second to figure out why, there were tears streaming down his face. He snatched it from Otabek’s hand without a word and buried his face in the material, trying to supress the sobs welling up in his throat. The scene inevitably drew others and soon he was surrounded by Phichit, Chris, JJ and Isabella.

“Sobbing again? Bit overwhelmed are we, kitty?” asked JJ, aiming for concerned but landing closer to mocking. Yuri finally knew him well enough to be able to see that. 

“He can cry as much as he wants, he won after all,” replied Phichit as he fetched some fresh napkins from a nearby table. “I wouldn’t have stopped sobbing from the podium till now.”

“Something tells me he isn’t crying over his win,” said Chris, as perceptive as ever. 

A strong arm wrapped around Yuri’s shoulder, careful to keep far away from Yelena. “His daemon settled.”

Yuri leant into Otabek, silently thanking him for sparing Yuri the embarrassment of having to explain himself. Otabek was so warm against him, so solid and unmoving. It served to ground Yuri, to keep him from floating away. 

“Congratulations! You’re finally an adult!” shouted Phichit far too loudly, drawing the attention of other guests. 

“Well, that’s one hell of a way to settle,” said JJ, his wide eyes betraying that he was genuinely impressed. 

“Definitely,” agreed Isabella. “Also a magpie is a fitting shape. You got something very shiny and gold today. Yuri is a greedy boy, determined to steal from others.”

Yuri could have slapped that woman, no matter how much her tearful support of JJ had softened Yuri to her, she was still an arrogant asshole. She and JJ were truly a match made in the deepest levels of hell. 

“But that’s a regular Eurasian magpie, this type of magpie tells something very different,” explained Chris. “Azure-winged magpies are known for their generosity, known to give to others without expecting anything in return.”

Yuri mentally added Chris to his list of people to destroy, but said nothing. He had no idea what his voice would sound like if he spoke, how much it would crumble and break. 

“Come on, let’s get some air,” said Otabek in his soft, deep voice. 

Otabek led the unresisting Yuri from the crowd, making sure to take the route furthest away from the loved up couple, so lost in each other that they hadn’t noticed the commotion going on. In the distance Yuri could hear JJ.

“I don’t get it. That doesn’t make sense at all.”

By some small mercy no one bothered explaining.

**Author's Note:**

> Daemon List:  
> Victor: Snowy Owl Name: Yekaterina Diminutive: Katya, Katenka  
> Yuuri: Black-Tailed Gull Name: Yasu  
> Yurio: Azure-winged magpie (Before settling favoured great grey owl, turtle dove, Eurasian magpie and white stork) Name: Yelena Diminutive: Lena  
> Otabek: Golden Eagle Name: Inkar  
> Phichit: Rudy Kingfisher Name: Wattana  
> JJ: Great Blue Heron Name: Estelle  
> Chris: Black woodpecker Name: Bellona  
> Isabella: Gibbon Name: Primo 
> 
> Others not in this fic:  
> Leo: White-eared Hummingbird Name: Carmen  
> Guang-Hong: Common windmill Butterfly Name: Xiang  
> Georgi: European free-tailed bat Name: Tatiana Diminutive: Tanya  
> Emil: Brown long-eared bat Name: Radana  
> Mickey: Black stork Name: Luna  
> Sara: White Stork Name: Sol  
> Seung-gil: Osprey Name: Ji-Min  
> Mila: Nightingale Name: Stanislav Diminutive: Stas  
> Minami: Cicada Name: Hikari


End file.
